Back in the 1960s, Doctor Who and Star Trek had some of the funniest low-tech ideas for aliens (see also unicorn doggo). Because special effects were limited compared to today, it’s funny to look back and see some of the things that passed for dangerous extraterrestrials back in the day. Besides Star Trek’s unicorn doggo, one of my favorites while watching The Original Series was showcased in “The Trouble with Tribbles”.
Stardate 4523.3: While the Enterprise’s crew was at Station K-7, a seemingly harmless tribble (literally a chittering furball) was sold to Uhura. Within a day it had multiplied. Meanwhile, Captain Kirk was trying to deal with Klingons. Tribbles, usually a calming creature while encountering other species, like humans and Vulcans, were agitated by Klingons. At least that discontent helped Captain Kirk find an undercover Klingon agent.
Since the days of Captain Kirk and the Enterprise, Tribbles have appeared periodically throughout Star Trek, usually as pets or referenced as a joke. In fact, on Big Bang Theory, Sheldon viewed Raj’s dog as an “attack tribble”. What better way to classify the yappy little dogs?
Overall, the little creature is pretty harmless. A tribble will lull other species into this tranquilizing calmness. Call it pheromones or incredible cuteness (honestly, if it is something chemical, I could use a tribble at work sometimes) the exact mechanism of lulling creatures in is somewhat unknown. The danger in a tribble lies in their ability to reproduce faster than rabbits. In a matter of days, they’d deplete a ship’s food supply, given the chance.
But at least they’re cute, right?
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